There’s a scene in Director Michael Powell’s notorious Peeping Tom (1960) where the main character, Mark Lewis (Carl Boehm), works his side job as a pinup photographer. He’s very good, but detached. There’s a “new girl” whom we first see only in profile. Mark is preoccupied and barely notices her until she turns and reveals a disfigured lip. Mark is awestruck. He’s compelled to pick up his movie camera and film her face. It’s awkwardly sexual. Another model protests, “but what about the customers”?

Spotify playlist link for almost all the songs on this playlist (Peter Gabriel and Tool aren’t on Spotify)

Music can be scary, even terrifying. Certain combinations of notes induce nervousness and unease in the listener. Musicians have known about these intervals for centuries. They can induce tension, character, and depth into a song, and have been used in music throughout the world since before music theory was even a thing. In modern music these intervals are the roots of jazz, blues, and rock and roll. In the medieval European Christian church, however, religious leaders branded these intervals satanic – making them even more unsettling. Continue reading “Show Notes for Episode 010”